Ducks Sign Vatanen to Two-Year Contract

The Ducks have signed defenseman Sami Vatanen to a two-year contract through the 2015-16 NHL season. Per club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Vatanen, 23 (6/3/91), scored 6-15=21 points with a +9 rating and 22 PIM in 48 games with the Ducks last season. Among rookie NHL defensemen, Vatanen ranked tied for fifth in goals, fourth in points-per-game (.44) and sixth in plus/minus. On Oct. 10, 2013 vs. the New York Rangers, he set a franchise rookie record and tied the overall club record with a +5 rating in a 6-0 win. The 5-10, 183-pound defenseman made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in 2014, picking up his first career postseason assist in five games.

A native of Jyvaskyla, Finland, Vatanen won a bronze medal in his first Olympic Winter Games earlier this year in Sochi, Russia. Vatanen led all defensemen and ranked second among all players in assists (5), while also ranking tied for fourth among defensemen in points (0-5=5). Selected by Anaheim in the fourth round (106th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Vatanen has earned 8-15=23 points with a +12 rating with 22 PIM in 56 career NHL games.